Congratulations _why, you just made the Slashdot front page!

	Sean O'Dell

On Tuesday 17 February 2004 11:58 am, why the lucky stiff wrote:
> Greetings.  Man, I'm giddy about this announcement.  My blood is visibly
> pulsing.
>
> On Nov. 11, 2003, during RubyConf 2003, I kinda mentioned a major
> project of mine that I believed would "change the Ruby world
> significantly." [1]  Well, we'll see about that.  Sorry if that was a
> bit pompous, but I'll let you be the judge of that.
>
> Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby is a free, open-source book for anyone
> wanting to learn Ruby.  I have finished the first three chapters.  You
> can start reading at http://poignantguide.net/.
>
> This book is not so much a manual.  There will be no reference.  This
> book is closer to a novel, a comic, or maybe a biography.  Or all
> three.   Ultimately, I'd like to have a book that could be so accessible
> that it could be a NYT bestseller.  Of course, I don't ever expect that
> to happen, but that's how plain I'd like the instruction to be.
>
> Face it.  This is the future.  Kids are going to be programming their
> skateboards, their GI-Joe tanks, their shoelaces, their oatmeal.  Ruby
> could easily be that language that the common man can get his hooks
> into.  This probably isn't the book that will make Ruby become
> universal, but it's a steppie in that vicinity.
>
> My roadmap has the book finished next summer.  This gives me a couple
> months for each chapter.  I'd like to release early and often.  The best
> thing you can do is bug me.  Feedback.  Constant reminders when a new
> chapter is due.  Bug me to death.  The demand will motivate me.  If you
> don't like the book, tell me why.
>
> I have no intention to print the book.  I have no desire to publish.  I
> am not working on PDF, Palm, TeX, etc. versions of the book.  I am
> writing the book and I am going to leave those matters for later.
>
> However, I will be setting up a RubyForge project soon.  The
> YAML/Textile source for the book will be available for any of you to
> format, print or reuse.  I am releasing it all (graphics included) under
> the GPL'ish Attribution-ShareAlike [2] license of the Creative Commons.
> Cool?
>
> Okay, then.  I *starch* you all!
>
> _why
>
> [1] http://whytheluckystiff.net/arch/2003/11/17
> [2] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/